Flight!
by Bearstar of SavageClan
Summary: The story of a kitten who was raised by eagles. When ThunderClan cats destroy the nest Eaglepaw is forced to become a ThunderClan warrior. With her odd eagle-like habits she must learn to act like a Clan cat and eventually save ThunderClan. Read and review please! (Previously on the account Mayhem'sQueen/The Mortician's Apprentice, I moved to my just warriors account)


Why did those cats hurt my family? Ripping up the nest and breaking the eggs... It's wrong and now they have taken a bird prisoner... I know I'm not actually a bird. How could I be with no wings? But hey I was raised by eagles what do you expect? And I know I'm not prisoner but it's bad enough. I despise being on the ground with these cats. They have so many trees but I can't climb them with these crazy cats looking. A clan... It's ridiculous.

They brought me into their camp to meet their leader Bramblestar.

"Are you okay?" he sounded polite but I didn't want to like these cats. They tore apart my nest and broke the eggs that could have been my siblings one day.

"No. You destroyed my nest and broke the eggs of my siblings. You are horrid cats! I want to go home." I growled at Bramblestar, my fur spiking up.

"You are home now. Eagles are a menace to us and steal our kits." he spoke with an even time which infuriated me.

"Then I guess I'm a menace because I am an Eagle! Let me go steal some kits because I must just be soooo bad!" I was mad now. Really mad.

"I'll believe your an Eagle when hedgehogs fly." now he's mocking me. I was mad. Really mad. I reached out and with my talon enforced claws and scratched his face. His warriors were on me in an instant.

"take her to the apprentice den since its empty and post a guard." he growled. "she goes nowhere"

"I'll go where I please" I snarled, glaring at him as I was led away.

And that's where I am now.

Maybe I should explain real quick.

Im a cat. When I was a kitten, my name was Ferrah then, an eagle took me out of the yard. I was supposed to be a snack for its chicks but when we got there all it's chicks were dead. So the eagles raised me instead. They named me Cloud and to help me grip the branches better and kill birds better they reinforced my claws with long sharp talons. I lived with them for two years. They had two more chicks the next year but let me stay and help care for my siblings. Who were named Talon and Sky. This year there were three eggs but those cats broke them. And now I'm here.

It's difficult to sleep on the ground... I shifted and stirred in the moss before getting up and pacing. It was unsafe here, any number of ground living predators could get me from any angle here. A grey cat stepped in.

"Hello, I'm Jayfeather. Medicine cat of Thunderclan. What's your name?" his blue eyes were huge and unsettling.

"Cloud... The eagle." I sighed.

"Well Cloud the Eagle you better hope you the scratches on Bramblestar's face don't get infected. Let me see your paws" I held up a paw. "come here" I came closer and put my paw out in front of him. He placed his paw on top of mine and felt my talons. Thats when I realized this cat was blind.

"I'm sorry." I sighed

"For what?" he snapped at me.

"I don't know..." I replied.

"Then don't bother apologizing." he growled a bit and I got frightened. He could almost instantly tell he had upset me. "I'm sorry" he told me.

"For what?" I sniffled a bit, trying to hide that I was upset by his sharpness.

"Snapping at you like that. So anyway your an eagle, describe yourself." he changed emotions so quickly I thought.

"Well I don't have wings or look like an eagle but I was raised as one. I have dusty grey-brown fur. My eyes are yellow. Hmm..." I thought for a moment. "my eagle parents reinforced my claws with talons." he began moving his paws over my body. "What about you?" I quickly asked and changed the subject.

"You can see me." he replied

"I meant what is your life like? Especially since I'm gonna be stuck here..." I replied. His paws stopped for a moment before continuing to slide over my pelt.

"I'm no warrior so I wouldn't know quite what your life will be like but for me life is... Busy. I have to communicate with Starclan to receive messages from out ancestors and it's my job to care for the cats in our clan when they are sick or injured." he felt the claw marks on my side. He sniffed them, just old scars. "what are these from?" he asked me.

"When the eagles first brought me to their nest." I replied.

"Wow. So what was life with eagles like?"

"I lived high in the trees and rarely came down, so being on the ground like this is weird for me. I would hunt and eat birds and protect the nest when my parents weren't home. I had a brother and a sister. And three more siblings who will never hatch"

"I have a brother." Jayfeather started "I had a sister too..."

"what are their names?" I was curious to learn from him.

"My brother is Lionblaze and my sister was named Hollyleaf." he replied.

"I'm sorry for your loss." I looked right into his eyes, they got softer when he spoke of his deceased sister.

"It's okay, she died fighting. A good death for any warrior. It's what she would have wanted." he looked at his paws.

"This life sounds hard..." I sighed and stretched, getting comfortable was impossible when I felt so vulnerable. The tom cat could sense my discomfort and stood up.

"it is hard. I'll be back in a moment, stay here." he left. I wonder how a cat with no sight can walk so proudly? It's like he never puts a paw wrong. I'm glad he talked to me though, so far he's the only nice one I've met. He returned with two cats in tow.

"get up."

"okay" I stood and shook moss from my pelt. I was lead to the camp entrance.

"climb." he told me from the base of a tree. " I suspect you'll be more comfortable up there?"

"Yes, thank you." I prepared to climb.

"not so fast. You need to help me get up there since that was part of Bramblestar's deal." he sounded irritated by this.

"Okay here." I dug my talon claws deep into the tree bark and hauled him up next to me by the scruff. "hold on and I'll move you up. As long as I hold on tight I should be able to hold both of our weights." we continued in this manner until we reached a fork in the tree. The grey she cat that he had brought with scurried up the tree with us and the golden tom sat at the base of the tree. Using my paws I showed Jayfeather were to hold on while I made the beginnings of a nest. Climbing to the overhead branches and winding them together to create somewhat of a roof and then using my claws to get moss from the trunk which I set next to Jayfeather. I began using the moss to make the space where we would sleep comfortable. The grey she cat watched me for a moment before helping.

When all the moss was settled I turned to thank the she cat. "Thank you, uhh..."

"Cinderheart" she introduced herself. "and the cat down there is my mate Lionblaze." I realized that was Jayfeathers brother and began wondering if they were all related. I shrugged the idea off and turned to Jayfeather. He was shaking and clinging to the tree. I touched his shoulder with my tail tip and helped him move to a comfortable spot. Once he was settled I laid down beside him with my back touching his and my tail over his shoulders. He shied away from me until I explained.

"When in a tree without a good nest you should sleep beside someone so if you fall they wake up." He laid his tail over me as if he was afraid of touching me and then curled up to sleep. Cinderheart glanced at us and then looked down at her mate.

The next morning I awoke to feel Jayfeather still curled against me. I blinked a few times and then got up. I noticed he had moved a bit in his sleep so I nudged him back into the center. I noticed a large white cat had taken Cinderheart's place. He watched me as I climbed up through the branches. Soon I saw my prey. Two squirrels were fighting over something. I dropped onto them from an above branch and killed both with my claws before they had a chance to hide. I descended back to where the white warrior and Jayfeather were. The warrior looked surprised that I had killed two squirrels. I dropped them beside Jayfeather and began eating one, pulling tufts of fur off to use in my nest later.

"You can't do that, now stop eating." the warrior glared at me

"says who?"

"The warrior code states that elders and kits must be fed first. And to not eat while on a hunt."

"I don't know of such a code, and I'm not on a hunt, I'm finished it." I continued eating. "give the other one to your clan for all I care though, I only need one."

"you will follow the warrior code soon enough."

"yeah right. I don't plan on being a warrior for you, or your crazy clan.".

"We are not crazy. We live together and serve our clan by taking care of the young, sick, and elderly who would otherwise be left to die."

"You take care of young? Yeah and I'm a twoleg. Your warriors killed my three newest siblings yesterday before they even hatched." I was starting to get mad again. "Why am I even talking to you? I don't know your name!"

"Cloudtail, and your the eagle, I know."

"Ah bite me" she rolled her eyes and felt teeth sink into her tail. She whipped around and then moved through the branches to glare down at the white cat.

"You told me to." he glared back.

"You warriors are crazy." At that moment Jayfeather awoke and I helped him to his feet. Getting down the tree was easier than getting up because I ha already climbed it once and was able to just carry Jayfeather down with a bit of help from Cloudtail. We went back into the camp and I again began to feel nervous about being on the ground. My eyes narrowed when I saw Bramblestar and a ginger she cat.

"I can't believe you actually slept in a tree Jayfeather." he smiled at the medicine cat. "now for you." he said turning to me. "you shall be an apprentice of this clan. And I shall make you one right now." he climbed a pile of rocks. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the high ledge for a clan meeting." the cats assembled quickly. Dovewing, Ivypool. You have been great assets to our clan and yet still haven't had an apprentice. I hope that with your watchful guidance you can train this she cat to be a helpful member of Thunderclan. Cloud, until the day you become a warrior you shall be known as Eaglepaw for the bird you think you are." I rolled my eyes as the cats began cheering the name Eaglepaw. I smiled at them and then turned to see my mentors. They were younger than me, how annoying. "What you lack in age you will make up for in numbers, don't let the fact that she's older than you worry you." I found all this very annoying and left to go see Jayfeather.

"You don't have to come to me you know. Why don't you go out with your new mentors." he seemed irritated to find me in his den.

"Your the only one so far who's been even a little bit hospitable towards me so why shouldn't I see you? And besides I don't need to babysit kits."

"They are young but Dovewing and Ivypool helped save the clans in the great battle. Along with some other cats."

"Meh, I don't really care. I have no interest in fighting your petty battles. I hunt and that's it." I was annoyed, they brought me here away from my comfortable lifestyle to live on the ground.

"Don't bother complaining. Its no use. Now could you help out by getting me a dock leaf?"

"sure." I went and retrieved a leaf from a back storage cave. Jayfeather took it from me and went back to working on the paw of a cream furred tom.

"Eaglepaw!" I heard my mentors calling me.

"See you around Jayfeather." I left to go, swishing my tail in an irritated manner. The two cats were outside. I followed them out of the camp

"We are gonna show you around the territory and introduce you to some other cats." Dovewing was smiling. These cats are too happy I thought.

"Although I see you have already met Jayfeather." Ivypool teased.

"He's the only one who even tried to be hospitable, why shouldn't I want to be with him instead of your snarling warriors?" I spit the words at her, my pelt bristling.

"Hey! We're trying!" I had upset them.

"I'm sorry. I'm just upset because I feel unsafe here. The ground is a bad place..." I shifted my paws uneasily.

"Then let's climb!" Ivypool suggested.

"Really? Can we?" In my head I smacked myself for sounding so excited.

"Sure, the territory is even better from above." Dovewing agreed.

"Thanks." I sighed with relief

"Race you up!" Dovewing yelled as she began climbing. I scurried up the tree quickly passing her. I was glad to be back where I belong. Suddenly I heard a bird call from nearby. As Dovewing came up behind me I put my tail over her mouth to shush her and she told Ivypool to be quiet. I stalked across the branch through the leaves. I saw a thrush sitting in a nest. I climbed around it through the branches and getting under the nest I reached up and plucked the bird from its nest. Killing it by severing it's spine. I picked it up and climbed back.

"Nice catch, how did you learn to hunt in the trees like that?" Dovewing

"Well I was raised by eagles, and the talons help." I held up a paw for them to see.

"Wow, thats frightening." Ivypool said. Dovewing nodded in agreement but I could tell they had seen scarier things than my feet.

"So are we gonna see the territory?" I asked hoping to change the subject.

"Lets go." The two cats left and I followed. We moved through the trees at a dreadfully slow pace. My paws itched to fly through the branches, racing through the leaves with the sky all around me. I had to follow and obey the rules though.

"This is the Windclan border, its the stream down there" Dovewing pointed at the stream with her tail.

"Nice, and whats up with them are they like evil or good or what?" I asked not really interested.

"It all depends and changes, but right now its too soon after a big battle for the clans to be arguing." Ivypool told me.

"Nice." I rolled my eyes. This clan thing was annoying, I was gonna befriend whoever I wanted, help whoever I wanted and fight with whoever I wanted. And no code was gonna stop me.

"You don't want to be a warrior do you?" Dovewing asked.

"What a shock! Someone finally realizes that!" I was mad now, of course I didn't want to be a warrior! Did they really need to ask?!

"Well Jayfeather could always use an apprentice granted that you believe in Starclan" Ivypool touched my shoulder with her tail tip.

"Starclan?"

"Our warrior ancestors, they live and hunt among the stars and guide us." Dovewing explained

"Oh, I suppose you could say I believe in that. Although I believe all animals spirits reside among the stars. Eagles, foxes and cats all living in harmony after their deaths." It felt odd sharing my beliefs.

"I'll speak to Bramblestar when we return." Ivypool told me.

"Okay." A breeze came off the moor through the trees, it was wonderful to heaar the wind in the leaves. We returned to the clan camp.

"Bramblestar, we need to speak with you." Dovewing called from the entrance of the leaders den.

"Come in." We entered the cave. Surprisingly Jayfeather was in there checking the scratches on Bramblestar's face.

"Eaglepaw doesn't want to be a warrior." Dovewing began.

"Then what? You expect me to make an outsider the medicine cat apprentice? I doubt she believes in Starclan or has any knowledge of herbs!"

"Actually" Jayfeather stepped in. "She helped me with herbs just this morning, I didn't even have to describe them to her. And the fact that she isn't aligned with any clan would help her to heal cats from anywhere without worrying about what side shes on." Bramblestar nodded.

"Shes a bit old to be medicine cat apprentice... and theres the Starclan issue."

"There have been medicine cats that did not believe in Starclan before." Jayfeather told Bramblestar, not giving away who it was though.

"And Eaglepaw does believe in Starclan! She believes all animal spirits go to silverpelt when they die." Ivypool said. Bramblestar shook himself and stood up.

"Do you want to have Eaglepaw as your apprentice Jayfeather?" Bramblestar asked him.

"With leafbare approaching and wounds from the battle still fresh an extra set of paws might be helpful." Jayfeather said. This seemed to surprise the other clan cats.

"Very well then, you can have her." Bramblestar twitched his ear. We left the leaders den and I went to the medicine den with Jayfeather, I thanked Dovewing and Ivypool for speaking to Bramblestar with me.

We got back to Jayfeather's den and he went to work helping a cat who appeared to be about my age and couldn't move her back legs. She was coughing a bit and I felt bad. She saw me and looked at me with big eyes asking who I was.

"I'm Eaglepaw, the new medicine cat apprentice." I told her "what's your name?"

"Briarlight!" she was so happy even without movement. I knew I wanted to befriend her.

"It was a waste for you to become medicine cat apprentice. Especially with your hunting skills." Jayfeather sounded mad.

"I'll help with hunting if I have spare time, but the fighting is unneeded." I replied. "I'd rather help all cats than just a few."

"You don't even know what you've given up do you?" Jayfeather growled. "I bet Dovewing and Ivypool didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?" I suddenly grew worried.

"Medicine cats cannot have a mate or kits. Ever." Jayfeather sounded so mad...

"Then why did you ever give that up?" I replied.

"Because no she-cat would want a blind mate! And it was my destiny to become a medicine cat."

"Jayfeather, you've got worms for brains." I told him sternly looking into his sightless eyes. "No true she-cat would care about your blindness when looking for a mate! If they did then they didn't love you as a mate from the start." Jayfeather was silent. I realized I probably said too much as an apprentice. Briarlight reached out and prodded me with her front paw. I turned to look at her.

She mouthed the words 'your right' to me. I shook my head.

"Jayfeather I'm sorry... I said too much didn't I?" I looked at the grey cat.

"No... I have to go." Jayfeather left me and Briarlight.

"I wish he wasn't so sensitive. I'm sorry he's half-clan and his mother was a medicine cat." Briarlight began to speak.

"I thought that wasn't allowed." I was confused now.

"It isn't, his parents broke the warrior code. So he is a bit sensitive."

"Oh." I felt really bad now.

"Just let him calm down and he'll come back." I nodded as Briarlight explained. He came back at sunset. I spent the day telling Briarlight and some kits about my life with the eagles.

Jayfeather , Briarlight, and I were the clans medicine cats. Briarlight became my closest and best friend and well Jayfeather? I might have liked him a bit. A bit... I never told him my feelings as I knew he wouldn't return them. As leafbare began I spent most of my time with Jayfeather helping the sick. He taught me a lot about herbs. Occasionally I would leave to go hunting. Sick cats need to stay well fed. I became accustomed to being on the ground although I still did all my hunting in the trees. The clan began to accept me, I think I was only a distraction from the battle they had before though. I still felt rather distant but I kept it a secret. No one needed to hear me complaining.

Then. Sadness.

Briarlight, my best friend, died. The clan knew she wouldn't live as long as a cat with the ability to move but they didn't realize she would live with her injury for little more than a year. Jayfeather was in despair and Millie wasn't helping. I kept her away from him. Jayfeather and I rubbed her body down with herbs and laid her out in the camp for her vigil. I sat with her. The night after her vigil she visited me in a dream. She could run again and we spent the dream frolicking and playing like kits. I was glad to see my friend free from injury. I told Jayfeather about it, I also told her parents and siblings. Everyone felt better hearing that now she could be the warrior she wanted to be, running and hunting among Starclan. We will always grieve for her but in time the sadness faded.

Jayfeather then finally brought me to the moonpool. Bramblestar had made Jayfeather wait to bring me until he decided I was a full clan member. I was also allowed to come to gatherings then.

My first trip to the moonpool was amazing. I met the other medicine cats and learned a bit about the other clans. Everyone was interested about me being so old and still an apprentice, after I told them I spent the first two years of my life with eagles they wanted to know even more. I really didn't like this being brought up again because it made me feel like an outsider. It brought back the memory of the Thunderclan warriors ripping apart the nest and breaking eggs. When we got to the moonpool I settled down like the rest of the cats and touched my nose to the water. Then I was in a world of stars.

A pair of green eyes looked into mine. Black fur, bedazzled with stars. I blinked and realized it was a she-cat.

"Hi! My names Hollyleaf! I'm glad you have become my brothers apprentice, believe it or not he really likes having you, he never would have wanted a young apprentice. But anyway uhh... A prophecy thing!"

"When wind batters your wings and shadow covers the sun, the eagle must take flight for the battle to be won."

"What does that mean?" I was seriously confused.

"You must figure it out for yourself." she told me slowly.

"Okay... May I ask a favor of you Hollyleaf?"

"Of course"

"Are there any eagle chicks that came here moons ago?"

"Follow me." the she-cat ran off and I followed her through the starry scenery, she was fast.

"Here." there was an open clearing in the center of some woods. I saw a she-cat wrapped around three small crying birds. Then I realized who the she-cat was.

"Briarlight! Your taking care of my siblings?"

"Yes, I remembered your story when you said the warriors broke three eggs. I decided to come looking for them a little while after I got here, come see." I walked towards Briarlight and looked at the three baby birds. "These are Robin, Finch, and Jay." she pointed at each kit in turn.

"Their beautiful, thank you for caring for them." a tail tip touched my shoulder as the starry world started to fade.

"you must wake up now." Hollyleaf said before her and Briarlight, along with the baby eagles, vanished.

I awoke thrilled. I looked around and saw cats all around the lake waking up and stretching. I bounded over to Jayfeather's side.

"That was amazing!" I told him

"It was a good dream this time for me as well. We can discuss when we get home." We walked together with the other medicine cats until we returned to our camp. Then we went to the medicine den and sat.

"I met your sister! And Briarlight!" I blurted out.

"Really? Well did you get a prophecy of any sort?"

"yeah uh, 'When wind batters your wings and shadow covers the sun, the eagle must take flight for the battle to be won.'" I recited it perfectly and smiled.

"Then there will be a battle with Windclan and Shadowclan. And if the eagle is you which it most likely is, you'll need to fight in it." Jayfeather deciphered the message quickly. "We must go tell Bramblestar." He left the den and I smiled. Did he like me as an apprentice or something more? Oh well, it didn't matter. I followed him.

"Was your trip successful?" Bramblestar asked Jayfeather.

"Eaglepaw's was." he replied. The leader turned to me.

"Have you had a prophecy?"

"yes, 'When wind batters your wings and shadow covers the sun, the eagle must take flight for the battle to be won.'" I recited it for the second time and continued smiling.

"very well then, Jayfeather do you know what it means? Also who gave it to her?"

"I believe there will be a battle with Windclan and Shadowclan and that Eaglepaw will have to fight in it. And I don't know who gave it to her."

"Hollyleaf did" I told them. Both cats seemed a little upset by this.

"I trust Hollyleaf, let us begin battle preparations."

Three sunrises later they came. With claws flashing they ran into our camp. I faced them with the warriors as Bramblestar had told me to. I didn't want to. I healed and hunted, never fought. But... I knew moves no other clan cat knew.

"Jayfeather won't need help until after the battle anyway so it's fine if you fight." he told me. I shook my head and forgot it. A black tom threw himself on me and I slashed at his face, cutting the base of his ear and leaving a scratch on the surrounding area as I threw him off, the talons on my back claws cutting the soft skin of his stomach. He yowled and fled to fight another cat. I pounced on a she-cat and clawed her flank leaving deep marks before I raced up a tree. I leapt through a few branches before leaping down onto a cats back. I bit the back of his neck and clawed his shoulders before he rolled over on top of me. His weight was crushing me. I broke free trying to catch my breath and climbed back up in the tree. I saw an eagle flying above the hollow. I made an eagle cry, something I learned with the eagles but never did in the clans. The eagle came down and I realized it was my mother. She seemed happy to see me and I was overjoyed. I made baby noises and she let me get up onto her back. She took off from the tree.

The clan cats looked up in astonishment as the eagle swooped down almost clawing the pelts of the staring cats. When they realized I was on the eagles back they were even more surprised. Then the ThunderClan cats remembered my birth and gained the advantage while the WindClan and ShadowClan cats continued to stare. My mother dropped me and then carried off a cat I knocked towards her, picking it up and dropping it. High enough to stun it without killing it. We continued like this me clawing or pushing a cat to my eagle mother and her clawing or picking it up. Soon the other clans began to retreat and Thunderclan were the only ones left.

I went to run and help Jayfeather. He had a scratch on his flank. I was worried but he told me it was nothing. After helping the cats who needed me I went out to camp, exhausted but exhilarated at the same time. Suddenly I heard a yowl. Bramblestar was on the high ledge.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the high ledge for a clan meeting." warriors groaned and brought themselves over. "I know we are all tired after the battle but their is something I must do. Eaglepaw. Your vision warned us of the battle and your distraction helped us win it. I believe you now about being raised by eagles. From now on your name shall be Eagleflight!". The clan cats yowled my name and I bowed my head. I twitched my tail embarrassed. Jayfeather's blind blue eyes shined as he looked at me. The whole clan looked at me. I was one of them. My whole clan. They didn't care of my odd eagle ways that made me different, they cared that I helped the clan. My clan.


End file.
